We Band Together Through Thick and Thin
by KDanceWriteDream
Summary: <html><head></head>What happens when someone from Emma's life makes a surprise appearance? Will she be able to survive it, or will she crack under pressure? Will her friends be able to help and support her? Or will this person ruin her life forever?</html>
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is my first fan fiction for Red Band Society, it is literally my favorite show! I really liked how they brought Jordi's mom back so I decided I would do a kind of spin off with Emma's family. It will be something like the Jordi scenario…Kind of… Sort of. Hope you enjoy it! Don't forget to Like and Review! Most of the story will be written in Emma's Point of View, unless stated otherwise. Flash blacks will be in **_**italics.**_

**Disclaimer- I, sadly, do not own any of the Red Band Society characters, plot, ext. only the things that I make up on this computer **

"So, Emma, how are you doing today?" I stare at Dr. Samuels's clock, willing the minute hand to move faster on the clock.

"Fine." I mumble. I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms. Finally, after what feels like an eternity of sitting in silence, the clock beeps.

"Alright, Emma, your hour is up." He sighs, frustrated that he didn't get me to talk. Instantly, I shoot up out of my chair, leaving the room.

"Hey skeleton!" I turn around, my hair whipping my face, to be looking at Leo Roth. Usually, I would be mad at the names and insults regarding my disorder, but from Leo, it was nothing but a friendly insult, and its okay, because I give it right back to him.

"Hello, peg leg." He laughs, wheeling over to me.

"That was one of your bad ones, Skinny Minnie. Seeing how, I don't have a peg leg, only half of one." I smirk at him. See, when you live in a hospital, this stuff doesn't bother you. You can complain about blood tests and nurses, and people will understand. You can make joke about your condition or your illness and people will laugh, not at you, but with you. I've been at Ocean Park Hospital since I was eleven. I was diagnosed with Anorexia. I'm sixteen now, and have made no progress. If anything, I'm getting worse. Eating makes me feel gross, like if I eat one bit of food, I gained fifty pounds. When I first came here, I didn't have any friends. There wasn't really anyone to be friends with. Then Dash came along with his cystic fibrosis and we started hanging out, he was my first friend here. Next came Leo. Leo Roth, the cancer kid. He had osteosarcoma in his right leg. They started with the amputation, then radiation, and then chemo. Now they are waiting to see if the chemo works. Next came Charlie. We aren't really friends, I don't know him personally, but he is a fellow Red Bender. He was in a car accident with his dad. He smacked his head on the dashboard and is now in a coma; and has been for the two months. Jordi and Kara came about three weeks ago. Jordi has Ewing sarcoma and has to start chemo, and Kara has a bad heart. Even if she has one.

"Ha-Ha very funny. So why are you stalking me at my therapy session?" I ask him, going behind his wheel chair and pushing him towards my room.

"Well Jordi, Dash, and I are going to eat lunch with Ruben. We were wondering if you wanted to come."

"Can't leave my room for meals remember?"

"Oh, that's right, I'm sorry Emma I-."

"Hey- it's fine. Don't worry about it." I smile at him. We had arrived at my room. Waiting outside of the door, Leo's eyes were staring into my soul.

"Why don't we have lunch with you in here?" he asks suddenly. I fix the hat that I was wearing, which just happened to be the one Leo gave me the day we met, and shrug.

"Whatever you guys want to do. I don't mind either way. Kara will probably be down here soon anyways, so…"

"Why would Kara come down for lunch?" Leo asks. I bite my lip, I hadn't told him that part yet.

"Uh…"

"Why is Kara coming down for lunch, Emma?" he asks, leading me into my room and hopping over to my bed.

"Emm-." Leo starts to ask me again, but I interrupt him.

"They were going to give me a feeding tube Leo! I freaking feeding tube! I couldn't do anything else! Kara wanted my lunch on the first day she was here, so I gave it to her. I… I _can't _have a feeding tube Leo. I just can't. I won't."

"So you haven't been eating for the past three weeks and the nurses think you are?"

I shake my head, "I don't think Nurse Jackson believes me, but she doesn't say anything."

"Emma, you have to eat something. When Kara wasn't here you were at least eating one or two bites but now you're not eating anything! They are going to release you and you aren't going to have Nurse Jackson, or Kenji, or Brittany weighing you every week and preparing nutritious meals! They are going to think you have recovered and you haven't! What are you going to do then, Emma!?"

"I don't know Leo, but I am not using a feeding tube. You remember what happened last time. I can't believe you aren't supporting me on this! I am fine, I'm not dying, I haven't fainted, I'm just Not. Eating. Nothing new to you Leo."

_I stare at my hideous self in the mirror, the thin feeding tube going into my noise from the drip. Basically, I could see the fat forming in my stomach. With each ounce of liquid that goes in, a pound is gained. With each pound gained, a level of self-esteem is dropped. This- this is what is making me sick. I am here at Ocean Park because I don't want to eat, yet they are forcing food into me. Nurse Jackson had to wrestle me down to the bed so the __anesthesiologist__could put the mask over my face. When I woke up, there was a tube in my stomach. Great right? Like waking up from a nightmare. _

_I am gaining weight. I don't want to. There was a reason I stopped eating. Obviously. SO why are they making me? I haven't fainted, I'm not dead, am I? No. So why force feed me and put me in misery. Does it satisfy the people in this hospital? In all honesty, looking at myself in the mirror like this, makes me want to die. I am ugly. The fat in my stomach is still noticeable. The fat in my legs is still there. My arms are flabby, my cheeks filled in, I know this. Being seventy pounds might sound like being super thin, but it's not. Not for me. Being seventy pounds makes me fat. _

_I turn away from the mirror, disgusted with myself. I walk into my bathroom, removing the tape that held the tube to my cheek. I give a gently yank on the tube, it moves only slightly. Taking a deep breath, I grasp the tube tightly. Giving it another, slightly harder, yank. This time, it hurts. A lot. But more tube is revealed. Progress. I do it again, this time I gag slightly. Taking a final breath, I pull the tube all the way out, gagging, and throwing up all over the bathroom and all over myself. I continue to do this until I feel light headed, probably from dehydration or lack of oxygen. I try to steady myself, and slowly make my way over to the counter trying to avoid the puddles of vomit, to no avail, my foot catches a puddle, causing my to slip and bang my head on the counter on my way down._

**First chapter! How did I do? Was it okay? More drama will be coming soon. Don't forget to follow, favorite, review ext.! Thank you so much for reading, if you would like something to happen, let me know! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**-Bye for now!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Wow. Thank you to everyone that favorite, followed, and reviewed last chapter! Did everyone see the episode last night?! Talk about crazy! Since everyone said they wanted a chapter ASAP, here it is: hope you enjoy it!**_

_**Previously: "Emma, you have to eat something. When Kara wasn't here you were at least eating one or two bites but now you're not eating anything! They are going to release you and you aren't going to have Nurse Jackson, or Kenji, or Brittany weighing you every week and preparing nutritious meals! They are going to think you have recovered and you haven't! What are you going to do then, Emma!?"**_

"_**I don't know Leo, but I am not using a feeding tube. You remember what happened last time. I can't believe you aren't supporting me on this! I am fine, I'm not dying, I haven't fainted, I'm just Not. Eating. Nothing new to you Leo."**_

"Me, Dash and Jordi are coming for lunch." He says firmly and wheels out of the room. Sighing, I sit down on my bed, taking my shoes off.

"Here is your lunch, Emma." Nurse Brittany walks into my room, carrying a tray that holds the same contents it holds every day, a turkey and cheese sandwich, a bowl of chips, an apple, and a water. She places the food on the table in front of my bed and sits down next to me.

"You okay?" she asks, me. Her calm, young eyes glowing, and her perfect smile looking right at me. I nod, refusing to say anything.

"I heard you had a rough therapy session. Anything you want to talk about?" she asks me.

I shake my head again, pursing my lips.

"Okay! Well if you ever need anyone to talk to I am here, not as your nurse but as your friend as well." Brittany stands up, straightening her hot pink scrubs. Once again, I nod, and quietly remind her before she leaves my room, "Keep the door open please."

She smiles at me, "Of course."

After about ten minutes of sitting in my room, looking down at my clasped hands, thinking about what Leo said to me moments before. _They are going to think you have recovered and you haven't! What are you going to do then, Emma!?" You're a worthless piece of-." _Imentally scold myself, Leo would never say that! He wouldn't. He's not like that. He's not.

"The party has arrived!" Dash yells, dramatically gesturing to the three of them.

"Hey… um, you guys and pull up a chair if you want." I say, shifting uncomfortably on my bedspread, avoiding Leo's gaze.

"What is going on in this world? Emma is allowing her room to be messed up?" Jordi says sarcastically.

"Ha-ha very funny." I smirk at him. Even though he is in-between chemo treatments, his spirit is still high.

Leo wheels back over from getting a chair for Jordi and places it in front of him. Before turning to the trays of food they brought in, he wheels over to my tray of food, picking it up and setting it next to me on the bed.

"Can I help you?" I ask, pushing the food away from me. Slowly, he stands up, hopping on his left leg, trying to regain balance. He lean towards me, whispering ever so quietly in my arm so Dash and Jordi don't hear him.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he whispers. "I just worry about you. One bite. Please?" he finishes. Slowly I turn my head toward the plate, examining the food.

"Okay." I whisper back to him. Satisfied, he sits down, with a small smile on his face. The room stays in a dead silence, everybody afraid to say anything.

"Awwkkwwaarrdd," Dash sings, before turning his attention to his food. I laugh silently to myself. I turn to look at my food again. Its presence is haunting in itself. I stare at it, slowly taking a shaking hand to get the apple. The boys turn and look at me, their faces all completely different. Leo's was filled with satisfaction, his pink lips pulled into a small smile, willing my hand to go that extra inch to grab the apple. Jordi was trying not to stare, trying not to look like he was watching this whole thing. Such a gentleman. And then Dash, well Dash, he is trying to hide the smirk that is forming on his face. Following Leo's request, I grasp the apple, its skin smooth against mine. I take it to my mouth, touching it against my lips, almost like I'm kissing it, and dig my teeth into the crisp apple. A small bite breaks off, only about the size of an inch, but it was a bite. I put the apple back down on the tray and look at Leo. _Thank you_ he mouths.

"So! What have you guys been up to?" I ask, breaking the silence.

"Well I have chemo tomorrow so that's fun." Jordi says, finishing up his sandwich and moving onto his chips.

"I have PT tomorrow." Leo says.

"Nothing is new in the life of Dash," Dash says, reaching for my chips before Leo slaps his hand away.

"Dude?!" Leo shouts.

"What? I'm hungry, and if Thumbelina isn't going to eat them!"

"That's _Emma's _lunch."

He puts his hands up in surrender, "Sorry, geez."

"Here Dash," I say, handing him the bowl of chips, "You can have them."

"Thanks." He replies, taking the bowl from my hands while looking at Leo as if he just beat him at a game.

"So-." Before I can tell the boys about the homework assignment that is due tomorrow, Nurse Jackson comes running into the room, her stethoscope slapping her shoulders.

"Emma, can I talk to you for a moment?" she asks, out of breath. I stand up, only to be startled by hearing Dr. McAndrew and Kenji yelling at a person down the hall. I walk over to Nurse Jackson.

"What's going on?" I ask her, trying to look down the hallway. Nurse Jackson side steps and blocks my view.

"Emma, we are going into lock down, we have to lock all of the doors so this man can't hurt anyone. So I am going to close your door and lock it. Jordi, Dash, and Leo are all in here. You will be okay, alright? I promise I will come and get you, alright?" I shake my head, my eyes filling with tears.

"No. You can't lock me in here! Nurse Jackson you can't!"

"Hey, hey," she wraps an arm around my shoulders and leads me to my bed. The boys all look confused.

"Nurse Jackson, what's going on?" Leo asks.

"Not now Leo," she says. She sits me down on my bed, laying my head gently on the pillow, and whispers to me. "Emma, you are in your room, okay? With your pillows, and your pictures all around you. Your friends are right here, alright? I _will _come back for you, I promise." "Boys, we are going into lockdown, stay here with Emma." She looks back at me, and then rushes out of the room, closing the door. I see her through my vision pull the all access key from her pocket and stick it into the lock, and turn it. As soon as it clicks, memories come flooding back to me. I start to shake uncontrollably, and my breathing becomes rapid.

"_You're going to learn one of these days. You're going to learn that the privilege to live in this house isn't free. You need to earn your stay!" She slaps me hard across the face, taking a clump of my hair and dragging me down the stairs. _

"_I'm sorry!" I cry to Her. _

"_Well sorry ain't going to cut it anymore!" she throws me down hard onto the cement floor, causing my head to throb. I can feel my hair growing wet, most likely from the blood that was flooding from my head. _

"_You're going to learn one way or the other! You're going to learn that people that act like animals, are going to be treated like animals!" She shouts at me as she stomps up the stairs. I can hear the floor slam behind her, and the dreaded locking click. _

**So. How was that? Good? Bad? Sorry it was short, I didn't really have that much to say except for a little background information. Thanks again for reading, if you want, favorite, follow, review! It would mean ****a lot! ****Thank you again for all of your support, it makes me want to write even more! Let me know if you have any suggestions, ext. Until next time!  
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**_-Bye for now!**


	3. Chapter 3

Again, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! To everyone that favorited, followed and reviewed last chapter! Your continuous support is so inspirational and I am so grateful! So without further ado *Gestures Dramatically with hands* Chapter 3!

Hope you enjoy!

_Previously- "Not now Leo," she says. She sits me down on my bed, laying my head gently on the pillow, and whispers to me. "Emma, you are in your room, okay? With your pillows, and your pictures all around you. Your friends are right here, alright? I will come back for you, I promise." "Boys, we are going into lockdown, stay here with Emma." She looks back at me, and then rushes out of the room, closing the door. I see her through my vision pull the all access key from her pocket and stick it into the lock, and turn it. As soon as it clicks, memories come flooding back to me. I start to shake uncontrollably, and my breathing becomes rapid. _

Leo's POV***

"Nurse Jackson! Nurse Jackson wait-." I try to stop her from leaving the room, but with no luck. Emma continues sobbing into her pillows, shaking in the plush comforter. Rushing over to her, I place a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Emma, what's wrong? Calm down you're okay!" I shout, frustrated.

"Leo, what is going on?!" Jordi shouts, trying to calm Emma down as well.

"Don't you think I would be doing something if I knew what was happening?!" I shout in response. Jordi has been here for three weeks, and he already thinks he knows what is best for Emma. He doesn't. I do. _I _know what is best for Emma."

"Dash, call the front desk and see if they can page Nurse Jackson, we need her back here." Dash nods, grabbing his phone off of the desk.

"Hey can you page Nurse Jackson? Emma Chota needs her." I hear Dash says into the phone, looking worriedly over at Emma. I can tell he is having a hard time with this.

"This is Dash from the inpatient wing. We just need Nurse Jackson!" he shouts at the receptionist.

"No – forget it!" he slams the phone down on the table, cursing like a truck driver. He turns to me and Jordi, "They are having a crisis, Nurse Jackson is unavailable at this time," he said in a mocking tone of voice, mimicking the receptionist.

A scream escapes from Emma's mouth, all three of us direct our attention back to her. Beads of sweat have started forming at her hair line, and fat tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Has anything like this happened before?" Jordi asks, reaching for a towel and patting her forehead with it.

"Yeah. Once." Dash says quietly.

"What happened?"

"It was around midnight and she woke up screaming bloody murder. She was drenched in sweat and wouldn't let anyone near her, especially any of the nurses and doctors. She woke up basically everyone on in the inpatient wing. Nurse Jackson called me and Dash down and it took an hour of us sitting with her just to get her to sleep again."

"Why was she screaming?" I shrug my shoulders.

"She never told us." I remember that night like it was yesterday. I remember her desperate crys for help, her screams emerging from the floor below. Nurse Jackson coming into my room at one in the morning, desperately pleading for my help to silence Emma's screams. I remember sitting on her bed with Dash, Emma curled in a ball in between us, rockng back and forth. She looked so broken, and she still does right now. I felt so helpless, that I couldn't do anything for her. She was in pain, and I couldn't do anything to help her.

Suddenly, Emma starts hyperventilating. Rapid breaths escape her nose and mouth, her bony ribs are moving up and down quickly. Soft whimpers come from her mouth, whisper _I'm sorry, I'm sorry _repeatedly. Just like before.

"She's having a night mare." I say.

Emma starts thrashing back and forth on her bed, having a full blown panic attack. Her body shakes, her legs kicking back and forth.

_What are we going to do? _I think to myself.

Kara's POV***

I can hear shouts coming from the nurse station. Ever since Nurse Jackson told me we were going into lockdown, I've been stuck in this prison with Veggie Boy. A waste. Of. Time. I could be sitting in Emma's room right now eating a top notch meal, but instead I'm stuck with cafeteria food.

"EMMA!" I hear another shout come from outside my room. Shifting my hospital gown around my shoulders, I walk over to the room. A middle aged man stood, shouting Emma's name. Dr. McAndrew stood in front of him, his hands out in front of him, warning the man not to move any further. The security stands around them, hands protectively on their guns, ready to use them if necessary.

Gently I tap on my window, getting Nurse Jackson's attention. "I want to get out of here!" I shout at her. She gives me a disgusted look, and ignores me.

"EMMA!" I hear the man shout again. What is this man to Emma? More importantly, _who _is this man to Emma?

**Alrighty. This was a bad chapter, I know. I can't really say anything until Emma gets out of her panic attack so it was a little filler chapter. But what did you think? Was it good? Bad? Let me know! I am sorry it was so short, once again, I'm not very happy with this chapter, but it is what it is. Let me know what you think and/or any suggestions! Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Until next time…**

**-Bye for now! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for not updating sooner guys, life kind of got in the way. Thanks again to EVERYONE that followed, favorite, and reviewed last chapter and all off the other chapter, they really encourage me to write eachday and I truly appreciate that! So in this chapter we will get a little glimpse into Emma's past… Hope you enjoy!**

Emma's POV***

"Emma? Sweetheart can you open your eyes for me?" Squinting, I open my eyes slightly, only to be met with concerned faces from Nurse Jackson, Leo, Jordi, and Dash.

"Oh thank the Lord." Nurse Jackson throws her arms around me shaking body, I gratefully wrap my arms around pulling her in closer to me. Nurse Jackson has been my nurse for the past five years. She has always been there for me and I know she will always be there no matter what.

"You came back for me," I cry into her shoulder. She strokes my hair soothingly.

"I told you I would," she says.

I stare at her from glossy eyes, that same, calming voice, and sympathetic smile stares back.

"Boys, can you go back to your room for a while? Emma and I are going to have a little chat." Leo glances back at me, I could see small beads of sweat on his bushy eyebrows, but his eyes were understanding, and motions to the other boys.

"Come on guys, let's… Go find Brittany and see if we can got some ice cream." He says, trying to come up with an excuse to leave. Jordi and Dash mumble okays, and they walk/ wheel out, leaving me alone with Nurse Jackson.

"Emma, are you okay?" she starts.

I nod, refusing to meet her gaze. "Can you tell me what was going on through your head?" I stare out of the widow, watching two birds flutter playfully in the air. _Her _voice was in her head, it was _Her _locking me in that room.

_She takes a swig from the whiskey bottle and then a drag from her cigarette. Her chocolate hair was pulled on top of her head, into a bun, straggling pieces fall from the sides. Her eyes were bloodshot and droopy, her lips cracked and dry. _

"_EMMA!" I hurry down my wooden stairs, with each step they threaten to break from rotting wood and termite damage._

_I stand in front of her, my hands shaking slightly. "Yes, Ma'am?" I ask, using the proper terminology she requires me to use. _

"_There are dishes on the table and in the sink." She spits, flicking the end of the cigarette onto the floor._

_I stutter, "I… uh… I was doing my homework first and then I was going to put them away. My teachers were getting suspicious because I-."_

"_Your teachers were getting suspicious?! You telling them things, girl?!" she pulls me close to her, I can taste the stale alcohol on her breath, the smoky smell escaping from her mouth. _

"_No! I didn't tell them anything!" She slaps me across the face, hard. I grit my teeth, trying not to show her that she was causing me pain. Pain was weakness, and in this battle weakness was something you DID NOT want to show._

"_You lying to me? You know what I do to liars Emma." Of course I know what she does to liars, it's happened to me multiple times when I had "lied"._

"_No! I'm not lying!" She grips my hair and yanks it back. _

"_You know, even if you did tell and they came and took you nobody would want you." She pauses, opening the dreaded basement door. She drags me by the hair down the stairs and throws me onto the cement floor. "You want to know why?" she asks. I'm guessing that is a rhetorical question so I just lay motionless on the floor. She cackles, "Because you're a pathetic, hideous excuse for a child." I cry silently to myself. I try telling myself that _she _is the liar, but it doesn't work. I open my eyes and my mom is standing there in front of me, holding a floor mirror, one that you would hang on the wall or the back of the door, and places it in front of me. "Now you can stare at your hideous self and learn how to be a little more presentable in public for the duration of your punishment." She leans the mirror against the wall, and stumbles up the stairs. She slams the door behind her and locks it. That clicking noise rings in my ears. I moved slowly infront of the mirror and I _did _stare at myself. I pick a part every flaw that I see. I did that for five days straight, until I see my mother again. _

"I saw her. I could hear her voice, and it just brought me back," I pause, wiping a tear that had escaped my eye off my cheek, "It just brought me back to that night. I thought you weren't coming back for me Nurse Jackson. You locked me in. You locked me into the room Nurse Jackson! Why would you do that?!" my voice going from scared and sad, to angry.

"Emma, I had no choice," she says, putting a hand on my knee, "You were in danger, I had to do that to keep you safe."

"Why?! What happened?!" I shout, pushing off the bed and standing up.

She hestitates, "There was a man threatening the safety of the hospital so we had to put everyone in lockdown."

"But who was it!"

Leo's POV***

After Nurse Jackson came in and took over from Emma, we boys obviously didn't go see if we could get ice cream, we went to see Kara to see if she had seen anything.

Jordi knocks on her door before walking in, me and Dash following suit.

"Dude, where have you been? I have been trapped in this prison for hours!" she groans, continuing to flip through her magazine.

"We were with Emma."

She looks up, sitting up from her slouching position. "Emma? Does she know that guy was screaming her name?" we look at each other.

"What man?"

"You didn't hear that guy screaming her name outside of the nurses' station?" we all shake our heads, _what man?_

"You boys must be deaf. This old man, he looked like forty was out here screaming her name like his life depended on it. After a while it got really annoying so I put my headphones in."

"We were a floor down! How were we supposed to hear? Who was he?" Jordi shouts.

We all look at her expectantly. "I don't know! Who visits her?"

Jordi looks at me and Dash. Finally, after a minute of silence, I speak up. "Nobody I don't think. The only person I have ever seen with her that doesn't work in the hospital is some man named Thomas."

"Yeah, he comes like every six months and takes her out to lunch," Dash adds.

"Yea, but she never told me who it was." I say.

"Me either."

"What does "Thomas" look like?" Kara asks, putting air quotation marks around Thomas.

"He has like chocolate color hair on his head and really _bad _side burns."

"Yea that's not the same guy."

"Where is Emma?" Kara suddenly asks.

"With Nurse Jackson, she sort of had a panic attack during the lockdown." Jordi answers.

"Well maybe we should go ask her."

**Thanks for reading! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review it would mean a lot! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Until next time…**

**-Bye for now! **


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm back! Again, I apologize for not updating sooner. Thanks again to everyone that favorite, reviewed, followed ext. last chapter. So, I present to you… Chapter 5 of We Band Together Through Thick and Thin.**

_Previously:_

"_What does "Thomas" look like?" Kara asks, putting air quotation marks around Thomas._

"_He has like chocolate color hair on his head and really bad side burns."_

"_Yea that's not the same guy."_

"_Where is Emma?" Kara suddenly asks._

"_With Nurse Jackson, she sort of had a panic attack during the lockdown." Jordi answers._

"_Well maybe we should go ask her."_

Emma's POV***

"Alright, Emma, breathe in," I take a deep breath in, the cool metal of the stethoscope chilling my back. "And out." Nurse Jackson removes the stethoscope and pulls my shirt back down. "All done, sweetheart. Now why don't you lie down and rest for a while, you've had a long day." I nod, giving her a thankful look. Nurse Jackson places all of her tools on the cart and I pull my feet up to my chest, curling into a ball, and throwing a blanket over my body. My eyelids immediately close and as I drift off to sleep, I listen to the sound of Nurse Jackson wheeling her cart away. I am almost fully asleep, before I hear footsteps coming into my room. Slowly, and reluctantly I reopen my eyes to face Jordi, Dash, Leo, and Kara.

"How are you feeling?" Leo asks. I shrug, burying my head deeper into my pillow. I, honestly, had no interest in talking to them right now. I just want to sleep.

"Any better?" Jordi asks. Now, I turn my body and face the windows.

"Guys, she obviously doesn't want to talk right now. Why don't we just leave her alone?" Says Dash. _Thank you, at least someone understands. _

"No. I am not leaving here until I get an answer as to why my peaceful afternoon was interrupted." That time, Kara speaks up. What is she talking about?

"I'm sssllleeepppiiinnnggg," I say in a singsong voice.

"Emma we just want to talk to you about something." Leo says.

"You boys are such procrastinators!" Kara shouts, she stomps her away around my twin sized hospital bed and squats down in front of me, a smug look on her face. "Who's Thomas, Bag o' Bones?" My eyes widen, and I sit up, looking at the boys standing around my room. Kara stands up, looking very accomplished, and… devilish.

"Uh… Who?" I ask, trying to play off the fact that I just shot straight up out of my bed at the mention of a name.

"I think you know exactly who we are talking about," Kara says, walking around the side of the bed and to the front. She puts her hands on the short barrier at the foot of the bed, looking as if she was going to push it right through the wall if I didn't say anything.

"No. I actually don't," I lie. Of course I know who Thomas is, but I'm not going to say anything because that would kind of defeat the purpose of not telling Leo and Dash all of these years ago.

"Emma, why are you lying? We all know you know who Thomas is. He comes to visit you every month. Is he like your boyfriend or something?" I contort my face.

"Eww! Gross no! He's like forty." My hand flies up to cover my mouth, I shouldn't have said that.

"Ha! So you _do _know who he is." Kara shouts again, moving closer to where I sat on the bed. "You better tell us right now or-."

"Kara!" Jordi shouts, preventing her from finishing her sentence.

She turns around, innocently. "What?" she raises her hands as if to say, _what did I do? _"I thought we were doing the whole good cop bad cop routine." Dash tries to conceal a laugh while Leo shakes his head.

"Emma, why don't you just tell us who he is? You can trust us." Leo tries to convince me. I laugh.

"It's not that I don't _trust _you guys, it's just that I don't like talking about it. And plus, it's not something that just causally comes up in a conversation."

"Just tell us! You will feel better if you talk about it." Jordi attempts.

"Okay, I will tell you, but only if you promise you won't ask any other questions. I tell you, and that's it. Okay?" I say.

They all nod their heads, understanding. "Thomas is my social worker. Has been for five years." The Red Banders' exchange looks, but none of them say anything.

"So who was the man screaming your name during the lockdown?" Dash asks me after a couple minutes of silence.

"Who?" I ask. There was a man screaming my name during the lockdown?

Nurse Jackson's POV***

I walk into the doctor's lounge, taking a muffin off of the plate Brittany had brought in this morning. As much as I hate to admit it, they were pretty good. Soon, I was joined by The One, the Only, Dr. Adam McAndrew ladies and gentlemen.

"How is Emma doing?" He asks me, pouring the stale coffee from the pot into his mug.

I shrug, "As good as you would expect her to be. She had a full blow panic attack, and understandably so." He nods in agreement.

"Did the boys have anything to say when you went back to her?"

"No, other than she was hyperventilating."

"I see. I am going to schedule extra appointments with Dr. Samuel and see if she will open up a little more.

"It's not going to work. She won't talk to anyone about it. Not even Leo, Dash, or Jordi."

"Well it's worth a shot." See, this is why Dr. McAndrew annoys me, he wants to throw everything on top of the patients at once.

"No! Adam, why don't we just let her tell us when she is ready! She is obviously not comfortable talking about it." Emma has only spoken to me about her past a couple of times before, but only to say brief snippets about what had happened. The most in depth information I have gotten out of her was when she told me about her mom locking her in the basement for an extended amount of time.

"It's unhealthy for her to keep it all bundled up inside! It has been FIVE years and she still hasn't said anything about it, it is all waiting to come out!" he yells.

I sigh, "Dr. McAndrew, I know you think you know what is best for Emma, but trust me on this. Please. I know what is best for her. We need to wait until she is comfortable enough to share this information with us."

He ponders this for a second, and then nods his head. "I will hold off on the extra therapy sessions for now. But not for much longer."

"Thank you," I reply gratefully. Emma needed this.

Dr. McAndrew starts to leave again, before turning back to me, "You didn't tell her about the man correct?"

"Of course not. She doesn't need to know about it. Hopefully he will just leave her, and us, alone."

"Unfortunately, I don't think it will be that easy."

**Alright! What did you guys think? Good? Bad? Horrible? Next chapter I think will be a Halloween Chapter, so if you want to comment some costume ideas go right ahead. Also, if you have any suggestions as to what you want to happen in the story feel free to let me know. Thanks again for everyone's continuous support, and I will try to update more frequently! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 5, thanks for reading!**

**Until Next Time…**

**Bye for now! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Very sorry about that little mishap... Here is the next chapter! This chapter is going to be a little shorter, but something big will happen *hint hint* Happy Halloween! **

Emma's POV

Since the lockdown, everything has been relatively quiet, aside from the normal hustle and bustle of a hospital. Nurse Jackson and Dr. McAndrew never told us who was supposedly calling my name during the lockdown- I mean, maybe Kara was making it all up-maybe she overdosed on some pills. But we dropped the subject and there was nothing else said. Anyway, this next couple of days was the second best event- next to Christmas of course- that happened here at Ocean Park: Halloween. Every year, everyone- and I am serious when I say everyone- nurses, doctors, parents, janitors, volunteers, and of course, kid, dressed up and we have a big party with candy, Carmel apples, professional dj's, and strobe lights. This year, all of the nurses were dressing as minions from _Despicable Me _so the parents and kids could go to them for help, and the doctors are dressing up as Crayola® Crayons.

As for us, well Leo is dressing up as a one legged pirate, per my request. Dash is dressing up as a zombie insisting that I should do his makeup. Kara was going as a devil/ angle sort of thing, and Jordi is going as some superhero from a Mexican comic book. Me, well I am going as the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. It was going to be a great night.

"Ok, close your eyes so I can paint your eyelids grey," I say to Dash as apply his makeup for his costume. I have already seen Kara and Jordi's costume and they are looking mighty fine. I have already changed into my costume- it was a tight fighting, mid-thigh length dress decorated like the queen of heart's dress, and I also had her crown and wand.

"Hey, Emma, can I ask you something?" Dash asks me, breaking the sheet of silence that had covered us for the past ten minutes.

"Sure. What's up?" I ask, rubbing black eyeliner under his lashes.

"So you remember after the lockdown how you kind of broke down," he says.

"Dash…" I try to stop him but I am unsuccessful.

"Emma, it's been bothering me ever since it happened. I mean you don't have to tell me, but, I just want to make sure you're okay." I set the eyeliner down on the bed. Dash is like a big brother to me, always has been, and the thing is, I always wanted to tell him and Leo about what has happened, but I could never bring myself to do it.

"Dash- I don't know…" I say.

"Emma, you can trust me." He says.

"It's not trust. I'm… embarrassed." I finally manage.

"Don't be embarrassed, you can tell me anything."

He's right. I can. "… So…. I used to live with my mom and well." I pause, nervous to continue, but Dash, being the compassionate guy that he is, gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Well, my mom, she was abusive and one of the things she used to do to me was lock me in the basement for days on end. When Nurse Jackson locked the door, it just brought me back. Please don't tell anyone Dash, if this got out-" Dash climbs onto the bed next to me, and gives me a hug.

"Thank you for telling me. I'm sorry that happened."

"Not your fault," I say simply. "Now let's get to that party."

The cafeteria was completely transformed. Ghost streamers were hung from the rafters in the ceilings, pumpkins lined the walls, and haunting music filled the room. After searching around with Dash for a few minutes, we found Jordi, Leo, and Kara over by the punch bowl. We start to walk over to over to them, but a hand is placed on my shoulder, I turn around, and I am facing a minion.

"Hey, Emma, can I talk to you for a minute," I soon figure out that it is Nurse Jackson and quickly oblige. Nurse Jackson pulls me to the opposite corner and I watch Dash walk off towards our friends.

"So Dash told me what you told him this afternoon," she says. I sigh, Nurse Jackson was the only other person I had told, although I assumed she had told Dr. McAndrew and Dr. Samuel as well.

"Emma, it's nothing to be ashamed about." She says.

"Honestly, Nurse Jackson, I really don't want to talk about this right now. Can I please just go to my friends please?" I beg.

She nods, "Sure. Just remember that we are all here for you Emma." I start to walk away again, and as I approach the punch bowl, another hand is placed on my shoulder.

"Nurse Jackson I already told you I didn't want to talk about anything," I turn around but standing there is not a minion, but a cloaked figure with a

"Can I help you?" I ask.

"Are you Emma Chota?" He asks loudly over the sound of blaring music. I nod, and he motions for me to follow him.

Cautiously, I follow him with a last glance at the group. Now, Leo caught my gaze and asks me where I am going silently, I shrug my shoulders in return.

I continue following the man to the hallway that leads into the cafeteria, out here it was quieter.

Once we get out there, he removes the hood that covered his face. The mystery man had short, brown hair like Leo did before he started Chemo, but it is a little shorter. His eyes were chocolate colored and he had a stubbly mustache.

"Who _are _you?" I ask him, inching closer to the door, half expecting him to pull out a gun.

"You don't know who I am?" He asks me.

I shake my head.

"Emma- how can you not know?" he asks again.

I told my arms over my chest- what was this guy on?

"Emma I'm….."

**Did I just do that to you guys? I think I did! Muh hahaha. Thanks to everyone that followed, favorite, and reviewed last chapter, don't forget to do the same this chapter! Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! And until next time…**

**Bye for Now!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Sorry for not updating sooner, my life has been swamped. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorite ext. Here is a short chapter, and I hope to update by next Monday. Hope you enjoy!**

_Previously: "Who are you?" I ask him, inching closer to the door, half expecting him to pull out a gun. _

"_You don't know who I am?" He asks me._

_I shake my head._

"_Emma- how can you not know?" he asks again. _

_I told my arms over my chest- what was this guy on?_

"_Emma I'm….."_

The man in the mask takes my hand in his, immediacy I rip it away. "Emma, I'm your father." One eyebrow of mine raises, my father? This guy must be joking.

"You do realize with one scream I can have the whole hospital over here in one second, right? If you don't want that to happen, I suggest you tell me exactly why you are here and who you are." I spit out, glaring at the man.

"Emma, I just told you, I'm your father." I feel like this is a scene out of the friggen Star Wars. This man, who had a hood on, is now telling me he was my father. I glance back through the double doors and a catch a glimpse at Leo talking to a minion.

"Listen dude, I don't know who you are, but you need to leave. Like, now." I start to walk away but my 'father' grabs my arm. I gasp, suddenly, this wasn't funny anymore. Once again, a simple motion brings back the torture of my previous years. Eyes brimming with tears, I turn back to the man. "You need to let go of me. Now." I say, surprised at how steady my voice sounded. He releases my arm, but walks toward me.

"Emma, please, just let me explain. My name is Daniel, and I am your father." He simply states. This was something that couldn't physically be possible. My dad left me when I was three, leaving me with my mom. I haven't seen him since, and I just naturally assumed he was dead. However, it does bother me that this guy is here, that I have never seen before, and he is telling me that he is my father.

"I think you need to leave." I say again. Before he can say anything, I can hear the comforting sound of the clicking of the crutches of the linoleum floor heading my way. I turn around to see Leo and Nurse Jackson standing behind me.

"Didn't you hear her? Leave! Get out of here!" Leo shouts. Daniel holds up is hands in surrender and backs away, but Nurse Jackson isn't having any of it.

"Daniel?" She asks, walking toward him. I can see a flicker of fear in his eyes, he tries to turn around and run, but Nurse Jackson grabbed his wrist like he previously done to me. I flinch, violence really bothers me.

"You need to get out of here, okay? Don't come back unless you are with _her_," she points a gloved finger at me, "social worker. Do you understand me?" she yells at him. I can see Nurse Jackson's fingers tighten around his wrist and I cringe even more, I start to walk towards them, but Leo holds me back. Why Daniel needed my social worker to visit me was unknown to me unless- no. It's not possible.

"You're lucky I'm not calling security right now. Now, get out!" she shouts. With one helpless glance back at me, Daniel turns around, and hurries out of the hallway.

"Emma, if you _ever,_ see that man again, you come right to me, okay?" she asks me. I nod, but say,

"Nurse Jackson- Who was that?" I ask her, but she brushes me away, rushing out of the room toward Dr. McAndrew.

I look at Leo, but he shrugs his shoulders, not knowing any more than what I know. What is happening?

_Flashback: General POV _

"_Dadaaddaa," a three year old Emma toddles into the kitchen, with her arms outreached to her father who was reading the newspaper, circling job openings. A fresh and swollen black and blue eye marked his face, and a similar one marks his daughter's face._

"_Hi, baby girl," he says, picking the girl up. _

_Emma points a finger at his eye, "We match?" she laughs. Daniel ignores the girl and circles another listing. Not being able to handle the pressure of keeping his little girl safe, and seeing her in pain, he places her down on the floor. He was getting out of here. Daniel walks over to the top cuboard, and removes the knapsack that held a few water bottles, some pocket money, and a blanket that he had packed months before. Throwing one strap over his shoulder, he walks over to his little girl, the one who he had risked everything for. Daniel just couldn't take it anymore, he hated being in pain, he hated seeing his little girl in pain, but he loved his girlfriend. Unfortunately, Daniel couldn't take it anymore. _

"_You be a good girl for Momma, okay?" Daniel asks Emma. She looks at him quizzically._

"_Dadda go bu bye?" she asks, opening and losing her hand like she was waving goodbye. The father nods, planting a kiss on his daughter's forehead. He would come back for her one day, and when the time was right, he would save her from this evil place._

**So! How did I do? I know it was short, and I apologize for that. I had a tough time writing this chapter and I just wanted to update for my amazing readers! Hope you enjoyed it and please let me know if you guys have any recommendations on what you want me to write. Your reviews really inspire me to write more, so reviews, favorites, and follows really are appreciated! Until next time! Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi Guys! I updated! Yay! Thanks again to everyone you reviewed, followed ext. last chapter, I appreciate it as always. Here is Chapter 8!**

_Previously: "You need to get out of here, okay? Don't come back unless you are with her," she points a gloved finger at me, "social worker. Do you understand me?" she yells at him. I can see Nurse Jackson's fingers tighten around his wrist and I cringe even more, I start to walk towards them, but Leo holds me back. Why Daniel needed my social worker to visit me was unknown to me unless- no. It's not possible. _

"_You're lucky I'm not calling security right now. Now, get out!" she shouts. With one helpless glance back at me, Daniel turns around, and hurries out of the hallway. _

"_Emma, if you ever, see that man again, you come right to me, okay?" she asks me. I nod, but say, _

"_Nurse Jackson- Who was that?" I ask her, but she brushes me away, rushing out of the room toward Dr. McAndrew._

_I look at Leo, but he shrugs his shoulders, not knowing any more than what I know. What is happening?_

"Nurse Jackson!" I call after her, pushing past groups and patients. Nurse Jackson walks up to one of the Crayola® Crayons, who I soon find out is Dr. McAndrew. I see Nurse Jackson whispering to him despite the loud music, and she is gesturing her hands rapidly, pointing to the door and then at me. I walk up to them and try to get their attention.

"What is going on Nurse Jackson?" I demand.

"I'll go tell security and have them search the premises." Dr. McAndrew says and runs toward the gleaming exit sign.

"_What is going on Nurse Jackson," _I repeat again.

She puts her arm around me and hurries me toward the door." Once again we are outside the gym in the small hallway.

She turns to me, "Emma, do you know who that man is?" she asks.

"No!" I shout, "That's what I'm trying to figure out!"

"Emma, if- when- that man comes back, you need to get out of the location, do you understand me?" Nurse Jackson asks.

"But who is he? Why is he such a danger to me and not anyone else? Is he really who he says he is?"

She takes my hands in hers. "Emma, I can't tell you that because it is a violation of you case. However, I can tell you that he could be very dangerous. So you need to stay away from him."

"What case? Like with Social Services?! He _is _my father isn't he?! My father is gone. He left. He's a coward. He couldn't deal with the pain of loving my mom but being beaten at the same time. He traded his life, for mine. That guy is not my father. My 'mom' is not my mom. I don't have anyone Nurse Jackson; except for you. Now you won't even tell me who that man is!" I shout.

"Emma, I know that it is hard. I do. But legally, I can't tell you. I understand that you have gone through more than most adults, however I can't change the law. Thomas has already agreed to come in and speak to you about all of this."

I moan, "Nurse Jackson, please," I beg.

"I'm sorry Emma. But I can't. Please, just stay away from him okay?" I nod.

"Nurse Jackson, do you remember my first night in the hospital?" I ask her, remembering what happened.

"Of course, how could I forget it?"

_Flashback- General POV_

"_Hi Emma, I'm Nurse Jackson." The older woman sits next to the patient as she opens her eyes. The girl's arms were like sticks, her fingers even skiiner. She had been diagnosed with Anorexia and would start treatment soon, but the hospital needed to finish treating her injuries from the abuse situation she was in. _

_The girl's chocolate eyes looks into the nurse's._

"_Where am I?" she asks._

"_Well sweetheart, you're at Ocean Parks Hospital. We found you in your basement. Do you know how you got there?" she asks._

_Emma shakes her head hastily like she was hiding something. _

"_Can I ask you something?" Emma asks. The eleven year old yawns, she was having a hard time staying awake. _

"_Of course, you can ask me anything."_

"_Do you have kids?" she asks. Nurse Jackson's eyes soften._

"_Uh, no. I have not been blessed with any kids." She says quietly. _

"_I'm a kid. But y mom wasn't a mom. Does that make sense?" she asks. _

_Nurse Jackson nods. "I think so. Is that why you were in your basement? Did your mom lock you down there?" she asks again._

_Emma looks away, she didn't want to talk about it._

_End Flashback-_

"You've come so far since then Emma. Don't let this guy mess it up for you, okay?" Jackson asks; but I ignore her. My dad cannot be back.

**So how did I do? Next Chapter: Emma's meeting with Thomas (the social worker). If you have any suggestions as to what you want to happen please let me know! Hope you enjoyed, and until next time, Bye for now!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, thanks for putting up with my writer's block…sorry I have been gone for a while, but, to make it up to you, I have a pretty long chapter! Thanks again for everyone's continuous support! Hope you enjoy!**

Monday Morning-

Emma POV

I sit in the front passenger seat in Thomas' car. We sit in silence, listening to the soft humming of the radio. We pull into Panera Bread's parking lot. It was the same as always, Thomas came at eleven, and told Nurse Jackson he was taking me for our 'lunch date', my friends said goodbye and I got in the car, looking out the window to the passing highway. Also, we always ate in the same place. Since on Panera's menu it listed the amount of calories per serving, Thomas felt that it was beneficial. It is the exact opposite actually, and I have told him that. So has Nurse Jackson, and Dr. McAndrew, and Dr. Samuels. He refuses to listen.

"Are you ready Emma?" he asks me, unbuckling his seatbelt and grabbing my manila folder from the glove compartment that listed everything social services _thought _they knew about me.

I ignore him, and unbuckle my seatbelt, opening the car door and walking out towards the restaurant, not even bothering to wait for him. I hear his door open and close, and then the sound of his shining shoes run across the pavement after me. Let me get this straight, I don't necessarily _hate _Thomas, I just don't exactly like him. For one, he always seems to think he knows what's best for me. He doesn't. Not even a little. I know he cares but it's hard to except sometimes. We open the door and walk up to the counter.

"Hi! Welcome to Panera, what can I get for you?" Thomas and I glance up at the menu, I ty to focus on the actual meals, but all I see are numbers. _430, 560, 251, 345_ all calories. It makes me sick.

"What do you want Emma?" he asks me.

"I'm not really hungry." I say.

The cashier speaks up, "We have smaller sized portions, if you're looking for something that's smaller in size I suggest the Fontina Grilled Cheese, it's my favorite meal!" I glance up again at the menu and find the sandwich- _850 calories._ I almost throw up.

Sensing my hesitation, the cashier says, "What about Dad? What I can get for you." Instantly, my eyes go from Thomas to the lady.

"He," I point to Thomas, "is _not _my father." I spit back, and stalk over to an empty table near the window. I pull out my cell phone provided by social services and text Dash.

_This place is driving me insane, think you can get Nurse Jackson to get me out of here?_

I wait a few seconds before he responds.

_What's wrong… u ok?_

_No. Not really. Some lady called Thomas my dad and all of this food and all of the calories, it is overwhelming. _

_I'll see what I can do, stay strong._

I smile and text back: _Thx Dash._

I see Thomas walking back over to me with a tray of food. There is a steaming bowl of soup, a sandwich, and a few bags of chips. He places the tray down and puts the soup in front of me.

"I said I wasn't hungry." I say, fiddling with my hospital bands.

"You don't have to eat it if you don't want it, but I was instructed to at least try and get you to eat something."

"Can you just answer the one question that I've been asking all of the hospital staff all weekend long?" I say quickly. I was actually getting extremely frustrated. All weekend I asked the nurses, doctors, therapists, everyone who that man was- but no one would answer, they just shrugged their shoulders and walked away.

"I was wondering when that question was going to come up."

"Can you just answer me? For once, in the long time I have known you, give me one. Simple. Answer!" I shout, resulting in a few strange looks from other couples eating their lunch.

"Emma, I understand your frustration-"

"No! I don't think you do! You say you do- but you don't. Nobody does! You have no clue what it is like, to wonder why. Why things happen the way they did. You don't get it." I shout, shoving the bowl of soup away from me, making it splatter all over the table.

"You're right Emma, I'm sorry. I don't understand what you are going through, which is why you need to talk to this stuff to your nurses and therapists." Why is it that it is always my fault?

"So are you going to answer my question or not?"

"I assume by your question you mean who that man was at the party." He says simply. I nod.

"Well, he is your father." He starts off, I feel my eyes brim with tears, my worst nightmare was coming true.

"We know that he left your mother when you were young, but did not know where he lived or even if he was alive. He showed up on our database a few years ago but we saw him associating with people from your past and with drugs. Therefore he was- and still isn't- a suitable guardian." I shake my head.

"No- this isn't happening. No! He isn't back- he left!" I shout. More people stare at me and whisper, but I don't care. My mascara was running down my tear stained cheeks.

"Emma, I know your upset, but I assure you, you won't be going to live with him. He isn't fit to parent you, nor will he most likely ever be." He assures me.

During this moment, my phone buzzes in my lap, I glance down- it was from Dash, _Nurse Jackson said there was nothing she can do- part of the state's agreement with the hospital. _I mentally groan, I was stuck here.

"Although he isn't fit to be a guardian, he is still here, and he knows where you are. If he comes near you or tries to contact you, you need to leave the situation and notify someone immediately, ok?" he asks me. I nod solemnly.

I place my wrists up on the table, revealing the hospital bands.

Noticing the red one, Thomas changes the subject, "You had surgery? There was no notification of this!" he shouts, frantically searching the file for the 'surgery.'

"No!" I can't help but laugh, "It's my friends, we have a little- society per se- the Red Band Society."

"Oh. Well I'm glad you have kept your friends close. I trust they are very supportive of your situation?" he asks.

I nod again, "Yeah, they are." Although Thomas gets on my nerves all the time, I know he is only looking out for me, and I appreciate that.

_Flashback- General POV_

"_Police, open up!" the police force stands outside a rundown house, banging on the screen door. There was a strong smell of alcohol emerging from inside. If the lady didn't come out soon, they would force their way in. _

_Too late. The police force busts in, slamming the door as the go. Some go upstairs, some go to the kitchen, and some go down to the basement in search of the drug addict. A few minutes of searching and the Captain is about to call in for backup, when he hears something over his radio._

"_I have a child down here!" comes the voice of one of his rookies. More police men pound down the stairs and what they see is far worse than what they had ever seen before. In front of their eyes was a small, extremely skinny girl laying on the cool cement floor. Her face has dried blood on her face, probably from the large gash on her head. Her eye was bruised, and her cheekbone was an ugly green and purple color. In front of her was a floor mirror that had, what looked like lipstick drawn on it. There was a form of a person drawn on the mirror, but instead of a stick figure, it was more like a bubble figure with words. It had long circles that represented arms and a large torso and body that was extremely large. Along with the legs that were also very large and the head was very round. Next to the shapes were words like _thick arms, _and _fat rolls, thin hair, ugly eyes, _and on the top of the mirror read, _Ugly Girl_.__ Out of all of the child neglect and abuse situations that the captain had ever been to, this was one of the worst. The poor girl looked like she hadn't eaten in days, weeks even. It was shocking. Not bothering to wait for the paramedics, the captain picks the girl up in his arms, carefully avoiding touching the awkwardly bent arm that looked broken. _

"_Call social services, this girl is going to have a long road ahead of her."_

**So how was that? I have a question for everyone- I am thinking about adding in a new character to the group, if you would like that let me know and if you want to let me know what you would like the patient to be like and other information like that. So thanks for reading, and let me know how you liked it! Until next time… Bye for Now!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates, I was without internet basically all week. Thanks again to everyone's continuous support, I truly appreciate it. Really- I do. To Guest11- Thomas is Emma's social worker; also, I don't think I will have Emma entering any romantic relationships AT LEAST NOT NOW, I'm not saying I never will, but I am going to wait it out a bit. Thank you again to everyone, since this is the tenth chapter (!) I would just like to say simply thank you. I never thought this story would go where it went and it only happened because of you guys. Therefore, I am eternally grateful. Anyway, enough of my blabbing, here is chapter 10 **

Emma's POV-

Walking into the hospital after waving good bye to Thomas, I sprint up the stairs toward the Eating Disorder Wing. Hoping to have some alone time after the emotionally exhausting meeting, and also some time to be able to think about the whole "dad" situation.

As I walk down the hallway, toward my room, loud noises emerges from my open door. I round the corner an through my windows, I see my friends gathered around my bed. When I walk in, everyone looks up, large grins on their faces.

"Emma! How was it! Who was that man?" Leo shouts.

"Who was he?!" Jordi and Dash shout together.

"It's about time you got back- so did you find out who he was or not?" Kara says rudely.

"Uh- hi guys." I mumble sadly. Leo does a double take when he notices my tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes.

"What's wrong, Emma?" he says, limping over to me and sitting next to me.

"Nothing," I say far too quickly. "Um… I mean nothing- yeah nothing."

"Come on Emma, we all may be sick- but we're not stupid." Dash says in a joking but serious manner.

"I don't really want to talk about it right now guys. I'm actually still trying to process it myself." I say.

"But we can help," Jordi pushes. The others nod in agreement.

"Thanks guys, but I really just need to figure this out on my own for now. There really isn't anything that you guys can really do to help at the moment." All three boys start to say something (Kara has been staring intently at her phone since I had walked in) but they are interrupted by Nurse Jackson coming in.

"Boys, would you mind if I had a word with Emma- alone." She says, they start to leave but she starts to speak again. "Leo you have PT and Dash you had Oxygen Therapy. Kara you have a stress test, and Jordi you have to rest for chemo tomorrow. So everyone beat it- I don't want any _lingering ears._" Amazed at how Nurse Jackson had remembered everyone's schedule, they leave the room- stunned.

Switching seats, I move to my now deserted bed and plop down on the plush covers. "So- how was it?" Nurse Jackson asks sadly, sitting next to me and putting her hand on my knee. I lay my head on her soft shoulder, sniffing in the comforting smell of her hair and shampoo.

"It was horrible, in all honesty. I mean, my father is back!" I cry out, eyes clouding with tears. Nurse Jackson wraps her arms around me and rocks softly side to side.

"I know sweetie, let it out. It's all right. Let it now." Another choked sob sounds from my mouth, as my face once again floods with tears.

"He just left me. Left me because _he _was hurting. _He _left _me_!" I shout, remembering the day he left me.

I feel Nurse Jackson nod as she continues to hold me like I'm a little kid.

"Nurse Jackson- he really isn't dangerous, is he?" I ask. The sweet, kind, and caring man, although cowardly, was the man everyone was forcing me not to see.

She sighs, and lifts my head up so she could look into my eyes. "Well, he has been seen going back to your mother and using drugs." More tears fall.

"But he wouldn't go back to her after he left, would he? He left because she was hurting him!" I shout back.

"From what you have told me, he loved your mom very much, sometimes for the wrong reasons. He was blinded by his love for her." She concludes. I nod, it was true. Unfortunate, but true.

"So they're both back?" I ask. Nurse Jackson looks at me sadly, but says a small yes.

"I'm very sorry sweet heart. But don't worry- you won't have to do anything or go anywhere with either of them. I, as well as Dr. McAndrew, Thomas, and the rest of the hospital staff, will make sure of that. Okay?"

"Okay." I say quietly. Nuzzling my head back onto her shoulder, she kisses my head softly and continues rocking me until I have calmed down. As much as I hate to admit it- they were back. And I hated it.

Disrupting us from our quiet state, Kenji walks into my room.

"Dana, we have a new patient waiting for you at the Nursing Station," he says quickly and without waiting for an answer, he rushes off to his next stop.

I sit up, waiting for her to leave. I wipe my eyes dry and give Nurse Jackson one last hug, "Thank you," I mumble, the cloth of her scrubs muffling my voice.

"No need to thank me sweet heart, I will always be here for you. You know that don't you?" she asks, suddenly worried that I had forgotten the one thing she always has told me.

"I know." I reassure her. Patting my hand one last time, she gets up and leaves the room and leaving me with my thoughts.

_Flashback_

_General POV**_

"_You do realize that your father left because of you right?!" The drunk mother stumbles in through the back door, encountering her nine year old daughter sitting innocently at the counter doing homework. Without even glancing up, Emma tries slipping off the seat and slowly making her way toward the stairs. The woman grabs her daughter's already bruised wrist, resulting in a cry of pain from her._

"_I wouldn't blame him though, I mean maybe if you had turned out correctly, he might've stayed- but you, you're so ugly and pathetic he couldn't stand to even look at you anymore." She snarls. _

_The girl shakes her head, refusing to believe a word that her mother was speaking. "Don't shake your head at me girl!" she shouts, slapping Emma across the face. She drops to the floor, clutching her face with her hands. The nine year old curls up in a ball, guarding all vital parts of her body. "It's the truth- you don't want to hear the truth?!" she shouts, kicking the girl sharply in the stomach, nearly missing her ribs. "Your father was a _coward _he left you!" she cackles as Emma cries silently on the floor. "Although, I am happy he left me a gong away gift." She smiles wickedly at her daughter and with one more kick to the stomach, walks away, lighting a cigarette as she goes._

**So! How was that? Next chapter I will be introducing the new patient. Thank you again for reading, and any reviews, follows, or favorites will be greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoyed, until next time… Bye for now!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi guys! Sorry for the delayed update, my life has been swamped. Thank you for everyone who has been giving their continuous support, as always. I wouldn't be here without all of you. Here is chapter 11! I also apologize for the shortness…..**

Nurse Jackson**

Walking from Emma's room and toward the nursing station to meet the new patient, I see the all too familiar face, of Thomas.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, Emma has already has had enough of the bad news- she doesn't need anything else.

"Nurse Jackson, I am dropping off the new patient." Thomas gestures to the young girl who stands by him. She is shorter, with golden curls that were loose over her shoulders. Her eyes were droopy and she looks extremely tired. However, there is a glisten in her eyes that says she isn't a quitter. I take the newly typed file off the counter and read it:

Macy Reid

Age: 14

Parents: Deceased

Doctor: McAndrew

Diagnosis: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Treatment Options:

Chemotherapy

Bone Marrow Biopsy

TBD

"Hi, Sweetheart, what's your name?" I ask sweetly.

"Macy." She says.

To Thomas, I say, "I think we've got it from here." Silently, he places her social services folder in Brittany's outstretched hand, and leaves the hospital.

"So… What's it like here?" she asks quietly.

"Well, really it's like any other hospital, except a lot more fun," I joke with her, which results in a small smile. Progress.

"So, where will I be sleeping?" she asks.

"Let me show you." I lead her down the familiar hallway.

Macy's POV***

As the nurse leads me through the hallway, I can't help but wonder who I will be rooming with. This will be my twelfth "foster home" since I was five. Apparently I was too "difficult." To handle.

The nurse stops in front of a door that lead into a colorfully decorated room. Towards the back, there was a desk, with a girl sitting at it, staring intently at whatever she was working on. The patient had long brown hair and wore a hat. From what I could see, she was extremely skinny- almost too skinny. Nurse Jackson knocks on the door, startling the girl.

"Emma, can you come here for a moment?" the girl stands up, and slowly walks over to us. Her face was tear stained, but she wore a fake smile.

"Hi… Nurse Jackson what's going on?" Emma asks.

"This is Macy, your new roommate."

"ROOMMATE?" Emma exclaims, which startles _me. _

"Emma," Nurse Jackson hisses. "You will be nice, I know things are rough on you right now, but you will be nice." She says sternly, which makes Emma look guiltily at me.

"I'm sorry," she says. "I'm Emma." She starts over.

I hold out my hand, "Macy." Grabbing my hand, I notice how bony her fingers really are, I try not to stare too long, before she pulls away.

"I'll let you settle in." Nurse Jackson says, and leaves.

"So, what are you in for?" Emma asks me. I follow her into the room and sit next to her on the bed.

"Uh... Leukemia, Chronic Myeloid to be exact. You?"

"Anorexia." That explains it. I nod and look around the room.

"So, how long have you been here?"

"Five years."

"Wow. Um… alright." Emma laughs at my speechlessness.

"So where are your parents? Usually when a new kid is admitted their parents are all over them."

I look down awkwardly at my hands, "My parents died in a house fire when I was five." I say quietly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry…" she trails off, "So, are you in the foster system?" she asks.

"Yup. Been in twelve foster homes since my parents died." She nods slowly, wheels turning in her head.

"Me too." She suddenly blurts out. My head snaps up and looks at her.

"Seriously?" I ask.

"Yeah, I haven't been in one foster home before I was diagnosed, I've been here ever since."

"Oh." There was a silence so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

"You want me to introduce you to everyone else?" Emma asks.

I shrug my shoulders. "Sure." Slowly, we stand up and leave the room.

_Flashback**_

_General POV_

_Emma stares at her first ever foster family. The smell of rotting food emerging from the drawers._

"_We saved you! We gave you food after you have never had any! And yet you still choose not to eat!" she yells at the quivering eleven year old. _

"_I'm sorry!" she cries, tears streaming down her face. _

"_I… I can't even bare to look at you. You disgust me! I fed you food off of our table! And yet you shove it in your room to rot! I… I'm calling Thomas." She shouts back, and stalks out of the room. _

_Falling to her knees, Emma's head falls into her hands. She's ruined everything once again._

**Okay, so honestly I don't really like this chapter. It took me forever to write and I'm not very happy with it, but I wanted to get something up for you. One question, although the story isn't even close to being finished, I need to know if you want a sequel, so I know which direction to continue going. So sequel yes or no? So, I hope you liked it and let me know what you think. Reviews are always wonderful to read, and it always brightens my day**** Thank you soooo much for reading and until next time… Bye for now!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello everyone! Sorry for not posting sooner, I kind of got side tracked. Thank you to everyone that reviewed, favorited, and followed, and a special thank you to the guest that shared her journey with me, and also to her comments and ideas. Also, I would just like to say thank you to everyone that has supported this story, I never thought it would get to where it is. Without further ado, I give you Chapter 12. I hope you enjoy!**

Emma's POV***

We walk through the halls of Ocean Park, pass the Nurses' Station and into "The Swamp." Leo sits on the couch, flipping aimlessly through the assigned reading for class next day, Jordi is laying on his bed, strumming quietly on his guitar, and Dash and Kara were arguing in the corner. Good, everyone is here.

I clear my throat, everyone looks up to see who was there and they were all surprised to see who it was. "Guys, this is Macy. She's my new roommate." I explain. Macy waves at the crowd, while nervously twirling a piece of golden hair around her finger. Jordi looked pleased, Leo had a small, welcoming smile on his face, Dash looked confused, and Kara looked disgusted.

"Macy, this is Leo, Jordi, Dash, and Kara," I gesture to everyone as I say their name, Macy smiles in their direction.

"So what are you in for? Another anorexic?! You and Emma could form a tag team and outnumber us all!" Kara shouts, I shoot her a dirty look, so does everyone else. Dash slaps her on the shoulder, but Macy doesn't miss a beat.

"No, actually I have chronic myeloid leukemia, they discovered it last week, but good guess!" she says, plastering a smirk on her rosy cheeks.

Kara slumps slightly, and starts picking her fingernail, upset that her rude comments weren't efficient.

"How long are you going to be here?" Leo asks.

"Not long. I'm due for one round of chemo, then a bone marrow transplant before I will be sent home to recover." I can sense the hesitation she has when saying the word 'home,' most likely because she has never had one, but I still can't help but feel upset because she won't be staying for very long. I mean, I would never want someone to be sick, but I finally found someone who is like me.

"What about you guys, why are you in this wonderful place?" Macy asks.

"Cystic fibrosis, basically crap lungs." Dash explains.

"Ewing Sarcoma, in like, my whole body." Jordi says, motioning dramatically at his body.

"I have an enlarged heart," Kara says, receiving a mumbled 'if she even has one' from Jordi, which makes Macy laugh quietly to herself.

"And I, Leo Roth, _had _osteosarcoma, I am in remission."

"Wow, a remission boy, congrats." Macy says, giving Leo a thumbs up.

"Yea, it's not as great as it seems. I lost this because of the wonderful amusement park we call _Cancer." _Leo jokes, attempting to hold up the rest of his amputated leg.

"Well at least the cancer is gone, right?" Macy tries to reason.

"Yeah, I guess," Leo agrees, "But I will still miss it."

"I know, but having two legs is overrated anyways." Macy says, waving her hand like it was nothing.

"Plus, I got this rocking souvenir," Leo says, holding up his prosthetic triumphantly, like it was a trophy.

The room erupts into a fit of laughter.

"See, it wasn't _all _bad, "Macy exclaims, "However, I do hope that once this is over, I never have to visit the amusement park again."

"Ditto." Jordi agrees. We all giggle again.

"So where are your parents? Usually when someone new is admitted, they are bombarded with relatives you never really knew you had." Jordi asks. Macy looks uncertainty at me, I give her a reassuring smile.

"I am actually in the foster system. My parents died in a house fire when I was five. Been in foster care ever since." Dash looks at me, a glint of hope in his eyes.

"Cool," Jordi says, but stutters out, "I mean not cool that your parents died or that you're in foster care but- never mind." He quickly stops himself, his ears turning pink.

Macy laughs, "Its fine. Don't worry about it." She reassures him.

Shifting uncomfortably on my feet, I say, "So, what are you guys doing tonight?"

"Probably some homework, we have that test tomorrow. You guys?" Leo explains.

"Well I start chemotherapy tomorrow, so just resting and maybe some unpacking." Macy says.

"I have to study and get ready for a therapy session for tomorrow." I say.

"Cool." Another awkward silence.

"Well it was nice meeting you guys, but I better go start unpacking if I want to have a bed to sleep in tonight. Emma, you coming?" Macy asks me.

"Yeah, see you later." I say, and Macy and I walk out of the room.

_Flashback***_

_General POV**_

_The halls were empty, except for the occasional nurse running to a room. Emma Chota slowly wheels her IV pole down the linoleum floor, desperately looking for anyone to talk to. For the past week, she has been here alone. Nobody would make eye contact with her, let alone talk to her. Everyone was too occupied with their own diagnosis, and their own treatment to become friends. The nurses and doctors were okay, but they weren't kids. Not that she had friends before she came to the hospital, but still, it would be nice to have _someone _to talk to. _

_Emma watched as the clear liquid dripped from the bag into the tube, pumping her body with unnecessary fluids and nutrients. The doctors insisted that she needed to be hydrated and get additional supplements to nourish her already failing body- they warned her that if it got worse, she would have to get a feeding tube, so she willingly agreed to let them attach her, in an effort not to get any more food in her body. _

_For it might disappoint _Her.

_As Emma makes her way through the ward, there was a crash, before the familiar shouting of the nurses, trying to calm an unruly patient. Emma hurried her walk, determined to find out who was causing the ruckus. Perhaps it was her foster parents trying to bring her back home, or maybe Thomas, coming to bring her to a new foster home- but the nurses wouldn't let him come in. As Emma neared the location of the noise, she saw a boy, around her age, struggling against about five nurses, as they try to lay him on the gurney. The boy had darker skin, and a baggy sweatshirt- not the usual hospital attire. In fact, Emma had never seen this boy before. A new patient!_

_The boy's hat was on crooked as he struggles against the accumulating staff trying to hold him back, but finally he wriggles from their grasps, running out from under them, and toward me, pushing a cart in front of them. The nurses fall to the floor and the boy comes up to me._

"_What's your name?" He asks. _

"_Emma." I say, glancing back worriedly at the fallen doctors and nurses. _

"_I'm Dash." He says, shaking my hand. "Want to help me?" he asks casually, as if he hadn't just sent about ten staff members to the ground. I shrug my shoulders. _

"_What do I do?" I ask. _

_Dash grabs my hand and now looks back at the nurses. A sense of panic crossing his face. "Run." _

**So…. How was it? Hope everyone enjoyed it and don't forget to review your thoughts, comments, ideas, etc. and also to follow/favorite if you liked the story! I wish everyone a safe and Happy Holidays and I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Thank you sooooo much for reading and until next time, bye for now!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello Everyone! Hope everyone had a nice holiday, thanks to everyone that reviewed last chapter- and here is the next chapter!**

Emma's POV**

By the time we got back to our room, there was another twin bed set up next to mine, and multiple boxes on it. Macy and I walk in, and I help her clear the bed off so we can put her bed set on.

"They seem nice," she says as we tuck in the first sheet.

"Yeah, they really are- I mean, except Kara. She can be a jerk sometimes. But just let it roll of your shoulders, she doesn't mean half the stuff she says."

"Most mean people don't, and trust me, I've met plenty of mean people." She smiles sadly at me.

"Well you don't have to worry about that here." I give her a playful nudge on the shoulder.

"So we have to go to school?" she asks after a moment of silence.

I nod, "Yeah, every day unless you're in the middle of treatment, have family visiting or if you have PT or a therapy session." I say. "But it's not bad, and plus, the teachers really nice- so it's not like its torture."

"Good. I hate school, I mean, I don't really _hate _it but, I hated my classmates in my old schools." She adds. We have finished the bed, and have started putting the few clothes she has in the drawers on the opposite side of the room.

"I hated school when I wasn't here. Same with me, my classmates were always making fun of me. But here, there's none of that. I like the actual learning part, I'm hoping to apply to Harvard or Stanford one day." I say, I haven't told anyone except Nurse Jackson this. She said that I had to get better if I wanted to apply, but it isn't always that easy.

"That's cool…" before she can say anything, Brittany comes into the room carrying my mid-afternoon snack of a sliced apple and peanut butter.

"Hi girls, Macy you settling in okay?" she asks. Placing the try on the table at the foot of my bed.

"Yea, thanks."

"Emma, your snack," she says pointing to the tray although I know it was already there, the smell of the peanut butter was drifting over to me, giving me a headache because it is so strong. "Nurse Jackson has asked that you have at least three slices dipped in a little peanut butter." I keep my eyes focused on the clothes I was re-folding. I hear Brittany sigh and clap her hands on her thighs, against her hot pink scrubs. Macy slowly looks over at me, a quizzical look on her face, wondering why I hadn't responded.

"Okay, I'll see you at dinner Emma," she says, and leaves the room. I continue to fold and put away the clothes as Macy stares at me, I know she wants to ask, they all do.

"You gonna eat?" she says finally. I shake my head. "Why?" she asks.

I shrug my shoulders. I don't need to explain myself to anyone.

Macy walks over to the tray and carries it to me, placing it in front of my face. The apples were starting to brown already, and the creamy, greasy peanut butter that was dolloped in a clear plastic bowl looked remarkably like a pile of dog crap. The apple skins were shiny and red, like the blood that used to pool beside me in the basement. The scents were wafting up to me, through the barrier of held breath and into my nose, making me want to throw up. I can picture Her face, telling me how ugly I am, and how fat I am, every time I have food placed in front of me. I slowly back up to my bed, away from the fat, away from the calories.

"It doesn't work like that." I tell Macy, trying to block out the picture of Her and Her taunting voice.

"What doesn't work?" she asks, sitting next to me on the bed.

"I can't _just eat._" I say. She looks confused. They always do. It took Dash the first year he was here to finally figure it out. Same with Leo- Jordi and Kara still don't get it.

"Why?"

"I…" it's hard to put it in words. What am I supposed to say, there are voices in my head, faces in my head telling me not to eat? I told Nurse Jackson I thought I was crazy once because of them, she assured me I wasn't, but I didn't believe her then.

"It's okay, if it's too hard to talk about," I smile at her gratefully. "Let's finish getting these clothes put away." She stands up, and I follow. Without even asking her, Macy takes the tray of food and puts it onn her newly made bed, away from me.

I have a feeling this arrangement is going to be a good one.

_Flashback*_

_General POV***_

_Twelve year old Emma Chota sits in a chair behind the Nurses" Station, away from the loud noises and busy staff. Nurse Jackson sits at a side table, filling out departure paperwork for a patient. _

"_Nurse Jackson?" Emma says quietly from her seat- she didn't like bothering her, but something has been tugging at the back of her mind for a while. _

"_Yes sweetheart?" the nurse responded. If she was to have favorite patients, Emma was defiantly hers. Since she first arrived, Dana had been drawn to her. And since Emma has had since a troubling childhood, she was determined to make this a 'home' she could have a least some good memories._

"_Would you still be my friend if I was crazy?" the nurse turns around in her chair, and wheels over to the child. She hazel brown eyes stared back at Nurse Jacksons. _

"_Of course I would, hun. But why would you think that you are crazy?" the girl stays silent. "Did someone call you crazy?" the nurse asks. The hospital was still finding things out about Emma's past life (from Emma at least), even though she has been here almost a year. The good thing is that she is starting to trust the staff. _

_The girl shakes her head. _

"_Then why would you think that you are crazy?"_

" '_Cause I hear things." She says in a small voice. _

"_You hear things? What kind of things?" she asks. _

"_And I see stuff."_

"_Okay?" the nurse climbs out of her chair and crouches in front of the girl who refuses to make eye contact. Nurse Jackson so desperately wants to wrap Emma in a large hug and just hold her close, telling her that she is safe, but Emma still was scared of any physical contact- from any adult that is-its getting better, but she still won't let anyone touch her because of the things she has endured. _

"_The voices tell me not to listen to you, and not to eat. And they tell me stuff. Stuff about myself." _

_Nurse Jackson suddenly understood. It wasn't the type of voices that she was thinking of, it's not like Emma is talk to 'voices' in her mind. The voices she is hearing is her mother's. _

"_Honey, you're not crazy." She assures Emma. _

_She looks up, "I'm not?" _

"_No," she says with a small smile. "Emma, you have had a lot of traumatic experiences in your young life." Emma looks back down at the floor- she doesn't like talking about this kind of stuff. "The things you hear, are just your demons sweetie, they will go away eventually, but I think talking about it may help a little." _

"_They will go away?" Emma asks innocently, despite her age, Emma acts a lot younger because she really, truly, is still scared that her mother will come back, and she still assumes everyone around her is like her parent. _

"_Yes, I promise. How about we go to the library and find you a new book, okay?" she asks, trying to steer away from the heavy topics, so she didn't make Emma more uncomfortable. _

_The girl nods, and follows the nurse down to the library._

**Okay! SO, what did you think? Good, bad? I PROMISE this chapter is the last boring chapter, next chapter (which I have already started writing) is going to have more excitement, and perhaps a certain someone might return, most likely to cause trouble (hint hint). Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter, and please review, it makes my day when I see email notifications about reviews on my phone**** Thank you so much for reading, and until next time, Bye for now!**


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